ISRO successfully test-fires scramjet engine:-
10 things to know about ISRO’s scramjet engine launch
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India successfully tests its own scramjet engine in flight on board an Advanced Technology Vehicle rocket. |
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Two scramjet engines were tested during the flight from Sriharikota. |
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India is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of scramjet engine. |
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Scramjet engines in flight is an important milestone in ISRO’s endeavour towards its future space transportation system. |
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The scramjet engine is used only during the atmospheric phase of the rocket’s flight. |
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Scramjet engines will help bringing down launch cost by reducing the amount of oxidiser to be carried along with the fuel. |
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Scramjet engines designed by ISRO uses hydrogen as fuel and the oxygen from the atmospheric air as the oxidiser. |
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The test-flight is maiden short duration experimental test of ISRO’s scramjet engine with a hypersonic flight at Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound). |
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Two scramjet engines were “hugging” the rocket on its sides and when the rocket reaches a height of 11 km the scramjet engines would start breathing air. |
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The ATV rocket weighed 3,277 kg during lift-off. |
India ranked 77 in disaster risk index of the world
The index is part of the World Risk Report 2016 released by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft in cooperation with the University of Stuttgart in Germany.
Lack of critical infrastructure and weak logistic chains substantially increase the risk that an extreme natural event will become a disaster
While Bangladesh is among the top five countries at risk of disaster, India ranks 77 on the World Risk Index – marginally better positioned than Pakistan which is placed at 72.
The index assessed the risk of disaster in 171 countries through the combined analysis of natural hazards and societal vulnerabilities.
Ranking No.1, the island state of Vanuatu displayed the greatest risk in 2016.
The researchers concluded in the report that lack of critical infrastructure and weak logistic chains substantially increase the risk that an extreme natural event will become a disaster.
“When it comes to aid measures following extreme natural events, the challenges mostly lie in the ‘last mile’ of the logistics chain: organising transportation despite destroyed streets or bridges and ensuring fair distribution when there is a shortage of (for example) water, food, and shelter.
Crumbling transport routes, unreliable electricity grids, and dilapidated buildings not only hinder humanitarian aid from overseas, but also delay crucial aid for those affected in the event of a disaster.
Sufficient, high-quality infrastructure, which is well-managed institutionally, can not only prevent the often catastrophic consequences of natural hazards such as flooding or storms, but it can also play a crucial role in the distribution of humanitarian aid supplies in the event of a disaster. Critical infrastructure can thus reduce the risk of natural hazards for populations and absorb economic losses.
One interesting question was asked by one of our students (Sreeram VS) is that –